Found You- Karin
by Cocopop55
Summary: She's been having these dreams since she was 5 and just when she thinks it's just a dream. She wakes up finding a mask beside her bed, it resembled an ice dragon. Sequel to Hotarubi no Mori e HitsuKarin ver. And companion fic to Found you- Hitsugaya.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello my dear readers!**

 **This is Karin's sequel to my Hotarubi fanfic.**

 **Now Karin's sequel will be a bit shorter than Hitsugaya's because unlike him she's a human, which I am grateful for because it was painful to organise everything and cover all the important moments in his life.**

 **Moving on I hope you enjoy part 1 of the story!**

* * *

Karin knew something was missing the minute she born. She couldn't explain it but it felt like half of her soul was restless. She was born as a twin, she should've felt whole being next to her other half but she never did. There was a hole in her heart and mind that couldn't be filled by her twin.

"Happy Birthday, Karin and Yuzu!" Cheered Isshin.

It was on her 5th birthday did she first receive the dream.

It was set on a fine sunny day with the sky devoid of clouds. She was standing in midair looking down at a small old-fashioned village where houses where made of wood and straws. Each house had a small garden patch and South from the village was a large rice paddy.

But what caught her eye were the three younglings that resembled her own siblings, aside from small details like different hair or eye colour. They were playing near a river not far from the small village. Two, one boy with spiky black hair and the other, her look alike who acts exactly like her were innocently kicking a ball around. The third child, a blond with an identical soft expression as her twin was washing a basket of fruits and vegetables. She could see them playing and having fun very clearly but she couldn't hear any sound. No birds chirping, no rustling of the trees and no giggles and laughter from the kids.

The next minute the brunette fell into the river and everything went into turmoil. The once clear sky was suddenly filled with smoky black clouds covering the sun. The eldest of the siblings rushed to save the fallen girl and the other girl slipped away from the group to chase after the soccer ball that was kicked into a nearby bush that was connected to the forest.

Before she could follow the girl chasing after her soccer ball, she awoke to her twin's worried face.

"Awe you ok, Kawin-chan?" She asked having troubles pronouncing the "r".

"I'm fwine, Yuzuk-Y-yuzu" Karin frowned wondering where the name came from. 'Yu-zu-ki?' She sounded in her head.

Yuzu didn't seem to pick up on her mistake and if she did she didn't voice it, instead she sighed in relief before gesturing Karin to go back to sleep.

Every night Karin still had the dream and it bore her to no end, it was repetitive and boring that it got to the point where she didn't want to go to sleep. She would even sometimes mix up her sibling's names. "Ichigo" with "Ichiro" and "Yuzu" with "Yuzuki" but all they did was shrugged it off.

* * *

It was exactly one year later on her 6th birthday did the repetitive dream stop and was replaced with another one.

Karin in her transparent figure stood in a clearing surrounded by trees. In front of her was a scene of a girl who looked exactly like her and a boy with striking white hair donning a dragon mask. They both seemed to be playing tag although it was rather one sided.

Karin winced when the stick the boy held in his hand came down onto the girl's head. 'Ouchy...'

It repeated over and over again. The girl would lunge and the boy would smack her on the head with his trusty stick. Not being able to watch the girl in pain anymore Karin took a step forward to intercept the stick. Only to still when the scene suddenly turned into a blur. It was like fast-forwarding a movie at an unbelievable speed.

The blurs stopped and cleared revealing the boy standing under a Torri gate, his finger pointing north and the girl running down the stairs in the direction of his gesture. That was all Karin could see before her world suddenly blackened but before she lost consciousness, she heard a deep husky voice sounded in her head, "Toushirou"

Opening her eyes, grey eyes stared at the plain white ceiling. "Tou... Shi... Ro. Toushi... Ro" the small girl chanted tasting the nostalgia of the name. Where had she heard it? "Toushi... Toushi, Toushi... Kun? Toushi-kun?" Somehow this nickname tasted a lot sweeter.

"Oi Karin! Yuzu! Wake up, mum's taking us to the park" Along with the excited voice was a series of knocks coming down her door snapping Karin out of her reverie and awakening the other occupant in the room.

Yuzu opened her eyes lazily and rubbed the sleep out of them, "hm? Is thwat Oni-chan?"

"Yeah." Karin replied wide-awake.

After going through their usual morning routines, which includes tolerating their dad's morning antiques and escaping from his clutches. They were finally out of the house twenty minutes later and started towards the park.

A woman with knotty orange hair held Yuzu's and Karin's hands as they walked on either side of her. The other orange haired Kurosaki was running ahead in front, excitement pouring from every pore in his body as he pestered his family to hurry up.

Once the family of four arrived at the park, Ichigo sprinted for the swings with Karin and Yuzu following a step or two behind him.

"Ichigo, Yuzu, Karin! Be careful!" Masaki warned from her seat on a nearby bench.

"Hai!" The kids replied simultaneously in synch.

"Oni-chan, I wanted to go on the swing," Yuzu pouted, her lips quivering as she gazed at the other child who occupied the other swing.

Seeing the teary face Yuzu was making, Ichigo faltered and offered his swing to her, "Ah, Yuzu don't cry, here you can have Oni-chan's swing." Ichigo grinned not at all sad about giving up his fun for his little sister.

Almost immediately, Yuzu's saddened face brightened, "thank you, Oni-chan"

Meanwhile with Karin, the grey-eyed Kurosaki was eyeing the black and white hexagonal patterned ball that she stumbled upon. She was just having fun climbing the monkey bars a moment ago when her eyes were drawn to the abandon ball sitting in the middle of a soccer field. The ball was quite worn out, the colour is beginning to fade and bits of rubber can be seen peeling off.

A scene of the dragon mask wearer from her dreams invaded her head but she never saw this scene before. It was set in a clearing she dreamt of last night but it was all a haze except for the white hair boy. The said boy was currently juggling a ball with his feet, it was similar to the one she found but it looked new and well looked after. Karin watched him with admiration as he skilfully kicked the ball up and down with excellent control. Like a ripple, the scene disappeared from her mind and she was pulled back to reality.

 _'...That boy was cool!'_ She mused.

Looking down at the ball in front of her she poked it with her foot. _'I wonder if I can be as good as him,'_ pulling a leg back she connected the inside of her foot with the ball as if she played if for hundred of years. The ball rolled a few metres away before stopping; it was quite an achievement for a girl her age to kick that far. Nostalgia shot up her spine as adrenaline flooded her entire being. It felt excruciatingly familiar and she was irritated that she couldn't pinpoint why it felt so natural for her, ' _No, I will be better than him, hehe.'_ She grinned deciding that she liked soccer. And from then on she dubbed the white hair boy as "Toushi-kun"

* * *

On her 8th birthday, like usual the dream changed, showing another scene. This time however...

As always Karin stood in her transparent self albeit this time in a meadow. Seeing as she was placed further away from the pair this time around, Karin jogged up to the two figures lying on the meadow until she was towering over them.

Her gaze scrutinise her look-alike, same grey eye, same colour and style of hair and same fashion sense. The look-alike looked and acted exactly like her and it's not even funny. Her eyes switched to the other figure lying with his arms folded behind his head. The predominant and only feature she could identify is the fluff of white hair as his blue mask, shaped like a dragon, covered his facial features. He wore his usual white button up and black pants but his green sweater seems to be missing from the equation.

Hearing movement from her right, Karin shifted her attention to the girl beside him who was now kneeling. Karin followed the girl's hands as it reached out for the boy's mask. Karin watched with vigilant eyes, curiosity swirling in her dark eyes. As expected of her look-alike it seems both of them wee thinking the exact same thoughts. _'I wonder if he's a monster. Monsters where masks right?'_

Excitement pumped in her veins as the girl lifted the mask, Karin leaned in closer to take a peak but before she could see who or what was under the mask.

She woke up.

Karin furrowed her brows and frowned, she didn't get to see what was under the mask! _'No fair! I was going to see a real monster!'_

Like every child who didn't get what they want, Karin threw a tantrum and started punching her bed with her chubby little fists. Yuzu was already awake and helping their mother cooking breakfast so Karin had no need to hold back. "Not fair, not fair, not fair!" She scowled continuing to throw her fist around until she heard a clutter coming from beside her bed.

Her fists froze in midair and she looked over the edge of her bed. What greeted her was a blue mask with a snout decorated with blue spikes resembling a dragon. Disbelief took over her as she bent down and picked up the mask. Settling back in her bed she placed the mask on her lap and analysed it. Using her chubby hand she gripped the snout of the dragon and it fitted perfectly in her grasp. Her other free hand traced the bumpy surface of the mask feeling the spikes poking against her palm but not sharp enough to draw blood.

Realising the mask was real Karin hugged it close to her chest out of instincts. She didn't know why she did it, the mask emitted a warm vibe and she just wanted to inch closer to the warmth. Despite its icy appearance it's anything but cold. It was warm, it was comforting, it was relieving, it was precious, it was a safe haven, and it was anything but cold and insignificant. She felt a connection with it and oddly enough she felt whole again, her once restless soul felt eased and relaxed. Karin began thinking superstitiously that maybe, just maybe the dreams are trying to tell her something.

She ends up keeping the mask under her pillow, not telling a soul about it and only pulling it out whenever she felt depleted. She would talk to it and although it cannot respond it provided some comfort in its own way. She had a habit of tracing her fingers against the topography of the said mask; she found it soothing. And when she is depressed, she would hug it as if it was the end of the world, just like the day her mother died.

She remembered everything so clearly, officers standing at their front door with her brother looking as if his soul was sucked out of his body. Isshin's sullen face and dulled eyes when the news was given, Yuzu kneeling on the floor crying her eyes out and then there was herself. Holding back tears attempting to look strong but it all crumbled when her dad pulled all of them in an embrace. It was the first time she looked at him as a father and not someone her age stuck in an old man's body.

She remembered hugging the mask tightly against her chest choking on her own tears as she rambled on and on about her mother.

* * *

Now at the age of ten Karin sat on her desk in her classroom. Today was show and tell day, a day where students present their most prized possessions to the class. All of her classmates were bouncing with excitement, impatiently waiting to show off their most prized possession.

Karin on the other hand was feeling indecisive. It was shown through her fidgety movements and furrowed brows. The precious mask that comforted her through hard times and lay hidden, out of sight under her pillow was currently laying comfortably in her school bag. Beside it was her soccer ball, which was kept in its usual net.

When the teacher announced this show and tell day to the class the first thing that popped into Karin's head was the mask. She has never brought it out in public before; hell it never even crossed her room's threshold. So why did she bring it? It was the urge to show everyone how precious the mask was to her but she started having second thoughts the moment she entered the classroom.

It felt wrong to her, like the mask would lose its value after she's shown it. And somewhere deep in her heart she secretly likes the fact that it's a secret, the fact that nobody knows about it but her.

So when the teacher called for her, Karin stood with her soccer ball by her side. The mask sitting safely in her bag.

* * *

It was after school now and the sky is now a soft orange-yellow colour. Karin whilst covered in sweat was crawling up a hill with her soccer ball swung over her shoulders and in her hand was a blue dragon mask. She was exhausted and confused after playing a game of soccer with her friends at the park and was on her way home.

A while ago some middle schoolers had grabbed her bag and threw it into the river after her team had beat them at a game of soccer. Her heart had stopped when she remembered her mask was in the said bag. She remembered the feelings of loneliness and horror gripped at her heart at the sight of the soaked bag. It felt like her half of her soul was ripped away from her. Not being able to handle all the negative feelings crowding her heart she ran away from the scene with her soccer ball slung over her shoulders ignoring her friend's worried cries.

It was only minutes later did a bright light caught her attention. Lifting her hands she was faced with hands glowing green. Small green particles danced around the palm of her hands before coming together causing the light to intensify. Karin's immediate response was to snap her head away from the blinding light. Once the light dispersed she felt a lightweight heaving down her hands causing her to look down only to see the dragon mask she cared so much about staring back at her.

She blinked waiting for her brain to comprehend the situation. She felt a wave of emotions smacking her in the face. _'B-but it was in m-my bag...'_ She stuttered not knowing how to feel.

Feeling skeptic, Karin scrutinised the mask and traced its familiar surface. She turned and twisted the mask, analysing every inch of it and frowned when she couldn't find a single detail out of place. _'Magic?'_ She concluded feeling relieved that it was the same mask she swore she saw drowning in the river.

She was pulled back to reality when a silhouette entered her vision. Following it back to its owner she found a boy looking a few years older than her tapping away on his phone. He wore a simple black collar shirt and white jeans but what caught her attention was the fluff of hair on his head. It looked so pure that it can only be natural and for a second she imagined 'Toushi-kun' standing in the boy's shoe. It was only for a second but already she can see the remarkable similarities.

As if sensing her gaze, the boy turned towards her and she was memorised by the pair of beautiful teal eyes. She watched as the boy opened his mouth only to close it when no words came out. Wanting to break the silence Karin decided to introduce herself first, "my name is Karin, who are you?"

All she received was a small smile from the boy, which may or may not cause her to blush a little. The feeling was gone the moment it came and was replaced with dread. She felt a dark energy nearby reminding her of the day she was attacked by a black monster with a contrasting white mask. Turning towards the direction the source was coming from she suppressed the urge to run away.

"Wait!" She yelled at the sight of the albino haired boy starting towards the dark omen. "I feel like something bad is in that direction." She explained when he looked back at her.

He didn't seem to take her warning seriously as he shrugged it off and left in the direction anyways. Karin fumed at his actions feeling underestimated. _'Just because I'm a little kid it doesn't mean I can't be serious!'_ She yelled in her mind. Karin's newfound, hostile mood distracted her from the mystery behind the mask and she ended up storming home while cursing the boy in her mind, _'well then, I hope you get eaten by that monster, hmf!'_ But she knew that she didn't mean it.

She had to commend the boy for making her feel like she was on cloud nine yet at the same time make her feel like throwing him in hell's fireplace on their first encounter. What she found odd was the dreamless night she experienced that day.

* * *

6 years later

Black hair. White hair.

A dragon mask, a demon mask

A tall 20-year-old man, a short middle schooler

"Toushi-kun!" "Shuu-chan!" Two voices of the same person yelled out simultaneously.

The loud noises caused the raven-haired girl to abruptly sit up on her bed wide awake. She stared at the wall trying to sort out her thoughts but failed and as a result, slapped her cheeks to wake her mind up. It's been 6 years since she saw the teal eyed boy on the guardrail. She has long grown out of her childish self. Her once bob cut grew past her shoulders, her baby fat had long melted off her face and her once childlike body has now filled out into a befitting form for a woman.

What hasn't changed was her love for soccer and the dreams she has been receiving ever since she was 5. Lately they have been complicating, it's still the same scenery but the dream would alter between two people, "Toushi-kun" and "Shuu-chan"

 _'The dreams I've got was always about the white hair boy with the dragon mask but who's the other gu-'_ her thoughts were interrupted when the door slammed open revealing a young girl her age with soft brown eyes and short brown hair. "Ne, ne Karin-chan guess what?" The girl asked looking like a kid in a candy store.

"What is it, Yuzu?" Was Karin's reply, her voice still hoarse from dehydration.

"Shuu-chan called earlier and said he was going to come over for dinner tonight." The older twin squealed. (Yes, Yuzu is actually the older twin!)

"Shuu-chan?" _'Who's that?'_ She pondered but couldn't pinpoint where she heard the name from, aside from her dreams.

"Mou~ Karin-chan how could you have forgotten Shuu-chan? He was the one who taught you soccer." As if a fog had cleared up, Karin felt everything became clear.

.

"I will disappear if you touch me"

.

A man wearing a purple demon mask raised a hand equipped with a thin stick before striking down at a little girl's head.

.

"Shuu-chan, catch!" Yelled a young girl as she passed the ball to the man in his 20s who received it perfectly before shooting the ball into the goal.

.

Two figures laid in the meadow enjoying the sun's warm heat. The little girl got to her knees and reached for the mask of the other figure, a man with wavy black hair donning a mask that resembled a demon. The girl slowly lifted the mask and held her breath in anticipation. Once the mask was off, the man opened his eyes revealing iron-grey orbs similar in colour to her.

.

"Ah! Shuu-chan" Karin exclaimed. 'That's right he has always been there for me. How could I forget?'

Seeing the recognition spiking in her younger twin's eyes, Yuzu turned and left but not before, "Karin-chan, we're going to be late to school if you don't hurry."

Karin's ears perked at the mention of school, she took a glance at her digital clock and was mortified when the numbers 8:20 blinked mockingly at her. "I'm ten minutes late!" She screamed cursing Yuzu under her breath for not waking her up earlier.

As Karin hopped around her room getting ready for school, the mask she grew up with and hidden carefully under her pillow began glowing before popping into green firefly-like lights.

* * *

 **Well that's the end of part 1!**

 **I'm working** **on the ending for part 2 right now so I will post it up soon.**


	2. Chapter 2

**This update was later than I expected but hey, atleast I finished it!**

* * *

 **Review response**

Guest: I hope there is more Hitsukarin in the next part, I just love how you write them

 **Yes there is definitely more HistuKarin in this part.**

 **Really? Why thank you :) but most of the time they're not even in character (-_-')**

* * *

 **Now enjoy!**

* * *

Karin was livid, how could Ichigo treat their dear cousin so horribly. First he goes off and disappears from the house since they were 10. Then he shrugs her off when she spotted him in a black kimono. Now he has the nerve to threaten Shuu-chan? _'Who does he think he is, Shuu-chan has been there for all us'_ she was determined to believe what she remembers but some part of her seemed to scream "LIE!"

"Karin-chan?" Yuzu asked for the upteenth time, her lips forming a frown. "I know what Oni-chan did was wrong but for now let's focus on the party for Shuu-chan, ok?"

Not being one to disobey her sister, Karin nodded. Right now Ichigo's friends were helping them set up a welcoming party for Tsukishima but Ichigo was nowhere in sight. He wasn't the only one acting odd; her father who treated Tsukishima as if he was his own son hasn't been around since Tsukishima arrived either. _'Something's wrong'_ she frowned but then again she may just be over thinking things.

Grabbing the cutleries Karin began setting up the table but the next thing she knew, the mansion started shaking and she suddenly blacked out. Outside, Ichigo was seen fighting a one sided duel with Ginjo.

When Karin was aroused from her unconscious the first thing she noticed was the amount of reiatsu in the area. She rubbed her head to ease the headache and focused on her brother's reiatsu. _'Did it grow?'_ Last time she checked, his reiryoku was very low and barely there but ever since he started coming back late again it has gradually grown stronger but not to this extent.

Analysing her surroundings she was horrified and apprehensive at the sight of unmoving bodies littering the floor. Hastily jumping onto her feet she cursed when her foot slipped but managed to balance herself. The pounding in her head didn't help at all. Running over to Yuzu's body, Karin felt her pulse and was relieved when she felt the pulse pumping against her fingers. She repeated this with the rest of the occupants in the room and was satisfied with the result. _'They're all just unconscious.'_

An explosion went off turning her attention to the group of reiatsu, which consist of her brother and five- no six other shinigami/s. There were more reiryoku users bit they're not the reiryoku users she was used to. One of them felt especially familiar, it was white-blue in colour and emits a cool aura. Pinpointing the group's reiatsu, Karin started running through the trees, ignoring the scratches appearing on her skin. Something was wrong and if the spikes in her brothers reiatsu was not enough then the clash between reiatsus can make up for it.

She was lead to a clearing composed of six shinigami/s and four other occupants. Karin crouched behind a tree and quickly did a once over of everyone in the clearing. There was an intimidating man wearing an eye patch and a psychotic grin, on his shoulders sat his polar opposite, a small cheerful girl wearing a cross bone ornament in her pink hair.

Nearby was a bold man wielding a spear, his opponent was a boy who's hair was styled into a mohawk. They both seemed idiotic and loud with the way they're yelling their lungs out and idly throwing any attack that comes to mind.

On the other side of the clearing was a man with bright red long hair and intricate tattoos peaking out from under his kimono. His arms were supporting a tall woman with dark skin.

On their left was a girl with bunny ears that screamed 'Cute!' Her opponent was, _'Rukia-nee? What is she doing here? Is she back?'_ she pondered feeling happy that she was back, _'well looks like Ichi-nii won't be depressed anymore.'_

Shifting her gaze from Rukia she turned to the blond boy wearing all black and she had troubles containing her snicker that threaten to escape her mouth. The boy was encased in ice from neck to toe and only his head was free of ice. Standing next to the boy was his captor, she couldn't see him because his back was facing her but she can identify notable features. Like the striking white hair she swore she's seem somewhere before, the green scarf that caused her to suddenly feel light headed and the white haori with the kanji ten on his back.

Karin's gaze lingered on his back before moving on to the next person. She spotted two men that could pull off as twins; both had black hair that reached their chin and sharp iron-grey eyes. The shinigami looked like he came from a noble family with the way he carried himself and the other was, _'Shuu-chan?'_

All logic was thrown out of the window and she narrowed her sights onto her cousin's battle. _'He's losing'_ she deducted, _'looks like all those years of playing action games didn't completely go to waste.'_

Turning her attention back to the battle at hand she stared in amazement as both sides trade blows after blows. It didn't take long for Tsukishima to fall on his back, at this Karin's heart speed up. She stared at Tsukishima's opponent who has raised his sword preparing to initiate the final blow. She felt the adrenaline pumped through her veins as she decided to reveal her presence, "Stop!"

Taking their moment of distraction to her advantage she immediately placed herself between the man and 'Shuu-chan'.

The man standing in front of her already had a terrifying reiatsu enough to put her on her knees but now that she was standing in front of him, she felt like a trembling chihuahua. But Karin was determined to protect 'Shuu-chan', her physical form may be shaking and sweating waterfalls but the fire in her eyes refuses to extinguish.

"Girl, move out of the way." The man in front of her spoke with authority in his voice and she almost obeyed. Keyword, "almost"

"No." Was her simple reply.

"Kuchiki," a voice spoke up, gaining the interest of three raven heads. Karin blinked and took a once over at the boy's front.

 _'Hey, he's that bo-'_

"I'll deal Kurosaki's sister." The white haired boy stated as if he could remove her without lifting a finger. The monotonous voice insinuated that she wasn't even a challenge and Karin silently fumed knowing that he's treating her like a child. _'There's no way I'll let him-'_ before she could finish the thought, the ground suddenly disappeared from beneath her. Her mind was slow on the uptake as it took five minute into their journey did it digest the information. She must've looked hilarious with her bewildered face; eyes wide staring into space and mouth slightly agape.

Once she realised what happened she immediately started kicking and punching the boy holding her captive and she was irritated when he showed no signs of pain. She utterly refuses to play the damsel in distress role.

"Let me go snowball! Let me go! I have to go back and protect Shuu-chan!" Maybe annoying him would help and annoy him she did as she felt him run faster. The scene of her unconscious sister suddenly invaded her thoughts, how could she forget about Yuzu? "Not only that I have to go back to Yuzu! And check up on Ichi-nii as well! Wait, you didn't do anything to Ichi-nii did you? Who are you anyways?" The boy did call her _"Kurosaki's sister"_ and judging by the usage of Ichigo's last name they must not get along, right? Who was he anyways? She remembered meeting him as a 14 year old boy who was obsess with his phone not as a shinigami with a broad reiryoku.

Seeing as he was not replying to any of her questions she continued, believing the more annoyed he got, the more likely he was going to let her go but that didn't seem to be the case.

"I can't leave Shuu-chan back there, not when I just found out he was that mask guy- Woah!" Her captor suddenly skidded to a stop causing her to bump her nose against his back, hard. Looking back at her captor she wondered why he suddenly stopped only to meet his icy glare.

"Keep your mouth shut." He ordered with an equally cold voice. And shut up she did, she's seen what he had done to his opponent and as much as she was proud her innate bravery, she doesn't want to turn into an ice Popsicle thank you very much.

For the whole trip, Karin kept her mouth shut and with nothing to do she found herself daydreaming about her past life. She figured it out a few years back now. She assumed the dreams she were receiving was linked to her past life and it's not impossible if you have Ichigo as a brother. But there was a hole in her theory, if those dreams were memories from her past life, how does Tsukishima fit in?

She didn't have time to think of an answer as she felt her feet touch something solid. Looking around at her new environment Karin's mind suddenly short circuited at the site. _'T-this place.'_

"This was where I gave you my name." The shinigami captain beside her spoke and she noticed a hint of nostalgia in his voice.

Karin connected her eyes with his, the word _"confusion"_ written in bold letters stamped on her forehead. "H-how do y-you know this p-place?" She asked not wanting to doubt her memories, "O-only Sh-shuu-chan should kn-know thi-"

"I'm sure you remember," he interrupted "or did all the times I smacked you on the head with a stick finally starting to take effect?" She frozed at his answer, it was very explicit that she begins doubting her memories but a part of her clung onto the fake memories. "But I wouldn't have hit you if you didn't lunge at me in the first place." Now she was utterly lost, there's no way two people could people share the same memory of one person.

Karin buried her hands into her hair having the urge to rip them out in order to relieve the stress her mind was receiving. "H-how, h-h-how do y-you- No, only Shuu-chan knows-" that's right, Shuu-chan has always been there for her, it would make sense if the mask wearer ended up being him.

But the boy was persistent as he interrupted her once again, "Have you forgotten about me already? I was the one who guide you out the forest," he stated before taking a step towards her and Karin made no move to avoid him. She was too lost in thoughts.

.

A scene of her as a 6 year old appears in her mind but she wasn't alone. She was holding onto a stick and another person older than her was holding the other end of the stick. Karin stared at the back of the person's head he had black wavy hair and covering his facial features was a purple mask. But when the person turned to look back at her, the black hair suddenly faded into white spiky tresses. The once purple mask disappeared only to be replaced by a blue mask, a mask resembling an ice dragon, a mask she remembered holding close to her heart.

.

"I was the one who taught you to play soccer," the shinigami continued as he took another step forward.

.

A memory of her sitting cross legged on the meadow watching a man in his twenties juggling a ball skilfully on his feet. The man kicked the ball up high and as the ball started falling the man raised a leg ready to kick it. Once he made contact with the ball the purple mask wearer faded into the background and was replaced by a 14-year-old looking boy with a blue mask.

.

Toushirou took another step closer, "I was the one who you visited every summer,"

.

She was standing in front of a Torri gate this time. It was their rendezvous, she remembers. "Were you waiting long?" Asked a silky soft voice. A man with wavy black hair and donning a purple demon-like mask greeted her as she turned around. Her face visibly brightened and she opened her mouth to call his name, the name she called out however, was not 'Shuu-chan'. It was like her body had a mind of its own, "Toushi-kun!"

As if on queue, the figure in front of her blurred into blobs of white, blue and black. Once the colours were aligned in their correct position the blurry effect stabilised revealing a short boy with spiky white hair and an equally spiky dragon mask.

.

Taking one final step, Karin found the shinigami towering over her with his hands gripping her shoulders. "I was the one who you loved, not 'Shuu-chan'"

The sentence seemed to trigger something in her as her mind felt like a movie, winding back and forth. She gripped her hair and pulled on it to ease the pain but it was in vain. She found herself burying her head into the chest of the white haired boy in front of her and felt comfortable in his arms.

.

She was having another flashback, this time she was staring at the man with wavy black hair and grey eyes. He was glowing green. Turning towards her the man opened his arms and smiled, "Rin, I can finally touch you now."

Instead of running into his arms however, Karin stood still on her spot. _'Something's wrong, something's not right, something's missing'_ but she couldn't pinpoint it. She stared at the green fireflies wondering where she saw them before. She stared at the green scarf wrapped around his neck looking out of place -to her anyways-. She stared at the mask in her hand pondering what was wrong with it.

She continued burning the mask with her gaze and swore it turned blue a minute before blinking away. _'Blue? Blue, blue, blue,'_ she chanted hoping to unlock something. Looking up she resumed staring at the man in front of her, _'who was he to her? I don't remember him. It's kind of hard when you've been dreaming about your past life all this time... Toushirou, Toushirou! How could I forget about him?'_ Karin scolded herself for her forgetfulness, how could she forget a person with natural white hair?

As she broke away from Tsukishima's spell the figure in front of her also dispersed leaving behind the albino haired boy with sharp teal eyes that she knew and loved. His arms were still opened, waiting for her to come to him. And she did, just like her past self Karin lunged at Toushirou and tackled him into an embrace. Warm arms immediately wrapped around her waist and kept her there. With closed eyes she cherished the moment, already knowing the conclusion of this scene.

.

Still believing she was in her daydream, Karin pulled away from Toushirou and lifted up her hands revealing a mask with spiky features. She put the mask on his face and stared at it for nostalgic sake, he still looks the same. Aside from the fact that he hits his growth spurt and his hair is now flatter than before. Realisation struck her as she identified the difference between dream and reality. _'Wait, he's not glowing'_ she realised. _'Is this my second chance?'_ Upon realisation Karin punched Toushirou's stomach before stepping away from him. Her mind was still in hysterics and hasn't calm down yet.

"Wait! Why are you letting me touch you? If I touch you you'll disappear!" Her mouth moved without permission and she blushed remembering the feeling of his toned muscles against her petit body. _'Well he's not bad looking.'_

Toushirou let out a smooth sensual chuckle that aroused goose bumps to decorate her skin. He pulled off his mask and she found herself staring into familiar sharp teal eyes. He then proceeded to stretch his arms towards her, "It's alright. I'm not going to disappear anymore." He smiled softly.

Still a bit skeptical Karin hesitantly reached a hand out to him. She felt herself falter when the memory of him decomposing into green particles passed through her mind but Toushirou grasped her hand in his and pulled her into his arms. He boldly placed a chaste kiss against her forehead and Karin snuggled against the crook of his neck when she felt her face heat up. _'Damn him, why am I the only one acting all flustered?'_ Karin screamed in her mind. She can still feel his lips lingering on her forehead.

They stood there in peace for a while before Toushirou spoke up, "I never thought I'd hold you like this again."

Karin blushed once again at his sweet line and she couldn't stop the small smile that spread across her lip. It didn't take long for the smile to disappear and replaced by a frown. _'Don't tell me I was acting like one of those useless, sentimental girls in Yuzu's soap operas?'_ She felt a blush crawled up her neck as she recalled her earlier actions. Oh how her reputation has crumbled.

Once again Karin connected her fist to Toushirou's torso causing his arms to go limp for a second. Using that second of distraction, Karin pulled on the collar of his haori attempting to look intimidating. "Well what took you so long to find me? I finally see you again on the guardrail that day and you didn't do anything to help me remember?"

She puffed her cheeks out in frustration when he had the audacity to chuckle at her. _'Right, he's a shinigami captain.'_ That would explain what's why her punches didn't have any affect on him. As if to taunt her even further he bent down to her height. "Sorry there was an emergency that day but I still got you right?"

If it weren't for the fact she was distracted by his close proximity, she would've punched him for claiming her. As if they weren't close enough, Toushirou connected his forehead with hers causing her breath to hitch. The feeling of his nose nudging her own and his breath brushing against her lips made her speechless and unable to think. Sure all of her friends are males but she never got this close to one before.

Karin's eyes locked with his and she sees him moving closer. She refuses to break eye contact as it is a sign of submission but that didn't stop her face from growing redder every time he leaned closer. Actually part of her didn't mind the space -or lack of- in between them and her heart can vouch for her through its beat. His lips were just centimetres away.

Closer

A centimetre away

Closer

A breath away

And clo-

A rustle from the bush snapped Karin out of her daze as realisation dawned her. _'Was I about to kiss Toushirou?'_ She felt her face exploded for the umpteenth time when she recalled anticipating the kiss. She was actually willing to give her first kiss to him. Not being able to comprehend her mortifying actions, she hid her face in Toushirou's chest. But she had to admit she felt rather disappointed that they were interrupted. _'Oh yeah, who interrupted us anyways?'_

Her question was answered when her ears rang from a loud voice, "Oi Toushirou! What do you think you're doing with Karin!"

'Ichi-nii?'

"No, what are _you_ doing _here_!" Was Toushirou's response and Karin couldn't find it in herself to disagree. No matter how much denial she was in she still wanted that kiss.

* * *

 **I know in Toushirou's sequel Tsukishima was said to be wearing a dragon mask but lets put that aside :)**


End file.
